


Life After Death (HIATUS)

by stxrdrifter



Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Brooding Akechi, Canon Compliant, Former Wild Card Akechi Goro, Gen, Inaba (Persona Series), M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Royal Spoilers, Takes place after Shido's ship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-08
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-14 13:53:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,985
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29296926
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stxrdrifter/pseuds/stxrdrifter
Summary: By some miracle, Akechi is alive. Now what he needs to do most is run.On hiatus until further notice. I *want* it finished, but I don't know where to take it yet.
Relationships: Akechi Goro/Kurusu Akira
Kudos: 41





	1. Escape

_ I need to leave.  _

_ I need to go now. I need to be anywhere but here. It’s almost guaranteed Shido knows what I’m doing now, I need to be gone before I’m found out. _

Goro Akechi’s mind raced. He had made it out of Shido’s ship alive, thanks to his entry point being nearby. His arm ached, though, from where his double’s shot successfully landed. Thankfully, injuries from the Metaverse didn’t persist when he left. Now, he needed to get out of the Diet Building without being seen, and get as far away as possible.

Goro immediately powered off his phone and, breathing heavily, began to move. He fidgeted with his gloves anxiously as he tried to avoid anyone seeing him come out of the basement of a building he technically had no business being in. Thankfully, most of the staff were nowhere to be found (the few he ran into were relatively easy to avoid), until he made it to the lobby. Once he was in the crowded lobby area, he ruffled his hair and pulled out some glasses he kept in his vest pocket. 

_ As much as I hate him, this technique really comes in handy _ , he thought bitterly as he made his way unnoticed out the front doors. He hated the foggy view of his glasses, and the feeling of his hair being more unkempt than usual, but he knew better than to fix it the moment he was out of immediate danger. Against his preference, the disguise stayed on his face even once he was on the train out of Shibuya.

“Time for election predictions.” A small screen broadcasting the local news hung in the middle of the desolate train car. The announcer’s voice, normally quite bassy, was now tinny as it was shoved through the screen’s speakers. “Experts say it’s an easy call; Masayoshi Shido has such an immense lead, it will be impossible to take that from him.”

Goro scoffed and turned to face the window, tuning out the station. 

He arrived at his apartment and didn't waste a moment taking in the space; he would be abandoning it soon. He emptied the contents of his pockets on the counter, and went into his bedroom to change into something less recognizable and more comfortable for sleeping the night away on a train far far away.  _ Inaba might work, _ he pondered as he pulled an unfamiliar sweatshirt over his head. It had a logo he didn’t recognize on it, but fit well enough to wear. 

At least it was comfortable.

Goro powered on his computer and let it warm up while he packed a bag. Spare clothes, his laptop and chargers, his savings, and certain very specific case files, just in case Shido’s men raided his apartment. The desktop computer made a sound that indicated it was on enough to use and he sat down to book a stay at a hotel in Inaba under a false name.

_ Akira Kurusu, perhaps? No… too obvious. Naoto Shirogane, in reference to the first detective prince? Again, too obvious.  _ His fingers lightly tapped the keyboard, trying random names until he finally settled.

_ Naozumi Niijima _ , the name of Sae Niijima’s late father. 

After the website indicated the stay was booked, Goro pulled an external hard drive from his desk and made a quick backup of all his important documents. The process was scheduled to take ten minutes, so he distracted himself. 

A buzzing came from the kitchen. He wandered in to investigate the noise and found his phone vibrating on the counter.

_ Masayoshi Shido _ , read the caller display. Goro immediately panicked, but quickly got a hold of his emotions and calmed himself down. 

_ Okay, _ he thought,  _ he must be calling for a reason, but he can’t know I’m alive. He can’t know where I am. I can’t pick up.  _ As the phone ceased ringing and Shido’s call went to voicemail, Goro grabbed the phone and pulled off the backing, yanking the battery from the device.  _ A violent solution, but who knows if he’d be able to find me with it powered on. _

He looked at the empty shell and his eyes traced their way to his SIM card. He quickly removed it and flushed it down his sink drain.  _ Can’t take any chances. _

His computer dinged again from the other room, alerting Goro that the backup was completed. He ejected the drive and placed it in his bag before setting the computer to factory reset itself. Everything needed to be perfect. He couldn’t take any chances of someone finding him. 

With everything out of the way, he pulled the bag onto his shoulders, put his hood up, and exited his apartment.

Thankfully, the station he needed to catch from, Yokohama station, was only a fifteen minute walk from his home, ten minutes with his brisk pace. He remembered Akira saying something about him walking like a caffeinated gay man, but he initially dismissed the remark. While yes, he was caffeinated, gay, and a man, he would not let himself be stereotyped. 

Goro wiped the memory from his mind. He didn’t have time to think about Akira right now, only time to get himself on a train and on his way to Inaba.

The train rolled into the station and he hurried on the moment the doors opened. He had been one of only two people on the platform, and knew this sleeper train was the only one to stop at the station; he was unsurprised when the other person boarded with him. Goro paid his companion no mind as he swiftly made his way into a small room, containing nothing more than a bed. It was still rather nice, and the mattress was comfortable, but he couldn’t deny it was small. He harbored no complaints; it was a train for sleeping on, afterall. He placed his bag on the floor and made himself comfortable as the train began to move again on its way through the country.

=====

When Goro woke up, they were nowhere he recognized. On one hand, this was a good thing. It meant he had made it far away. On the other, he had no idea where he was.  _ Oh fuck, _ was the first thought in his mind. 

He sat up and pulled himself from the bed, checking the schedule on the wall. They were set to arrive in Izumoshi station in a few hours according to his watch, and from there he’d be catching another train to the Yasoinaba station where he’d be staying until everything boiled over and it was safe to return.

With roughly 4 hours remaining, he laid back down and pulled out his phone, completely forgetting he’d completely removed the battery the night before.

“I took out the SIM card,” he muttered to himself, “I should be fine, right?” As he reached for the battery pack in his bag, he shook the idea from his head. “No chances.” Frustrated, he tossed the phone back in his bag and wished for something to do. The boy had never gotten the chance to enjoy many video games or cartoons (though he  _ did  _ enjoy the Featherman series), but right now he desperately wished he had a PS Vita like Futaba had talked about. 

He couldn’t help but feel bad for the girl. It was his fault she ended up in the state she was in, considering he did kill her mother, and a small part of him wished he could take back the mistakes he’d made.

Goro shook the thought from his mind and decided he needed a proper distraction, so he reached into his bag and pulled out his laptop, hoping he had  _ something  _ on there of interest.

=====

Thankfully, he had had a few episodes of Neo Featherman R on his hard-drive, which helped to pass the time. In what felt like the blink of an eye, the automated voice announced that they’d be pulling in to their final stop at Izumoshi station. He packed his laptop back into his bag and pulled it over his shoulders, ruffled his hair under his hood, and shoved his dirty glasses onto his face before stepping out of the room.

It wasn’t all too crowded, much to his surprise. Goro was certain there would be more people, but he didn’t mind having less chances for him to be miraculously recognized. He filed off the train and out into the open air, taking in a deep breath before making his way to a map of the station, and of the various lines.

He had no idea how to read this map.

“Need help?” A voice spoke. He jumped, turning to see the man speaking. The man wore quite a generic working outfit; leather jacket over a white button down, and black slacks. His genuine smile led Goro to believe he was probably just a local, and not someone who recognized him in any way.

“Yeah, I’m trying to get to Yasoinaba Station, where would I go to get there?” He asked. He didn’t want to risk sounding suspicious, so he didn’t do anything to disguise his voice. People can sound similar, he reasoned, but if he were to try to make it different there was a chance he’d get caught for it.

“Oh, that’s actually this way.” The man pointed at the map. “See this green line here? That runs out to Yasoinaba and beyond.” He shifted his stance at the lines on the ground. “Just follow the green lines here to get to your platform.”

“Thank you, sir,” Goro said with a nod before walking off. He forgot what it was like for people to talk to him without the pretense of knowing who he was, without them praising him in their subtle ways. He missed just being normal, just being him. Just some civilian, no TV Personality or hyped up fanbase.

He made his way to the platform and checked the map again. Two stops to Yasoinaba. The end was in sight, and the next train came in three minutes. Soon, he could finally feel safe. 

“Excuse me?” Another voice behind him said. He turned to see the speaker, a teenager in a uniform matching the station. “I think you dropped this.”

The boy handed him a wallet, and Goro quickly grabbed it. He put on a fake smile before speaking. “Thank you. I don’t know how I let this get away from me.” He quickly checked to make sure nothing was missing. Thankfully, he’d been smart enough to stuff his ID in his bag in case of a circumstance just like this.

“Wait a minute, aren’t you… You look almost like that detective prince guy!” He chimed. Goro’s heart rate shot up. The kid spoke a little too loudly for Goro’s liking, and he immediately felt like he was in danger again.

_ Relax. People get mistaken for others all the time. You can do this, _ a voice spoke from within his heart. Goro sighed, relaxing his muscles and nerves.

“Yeah, I get that a lot. I bet I could pass as him if I wanted to,” Goro replied, adding a chuckle for good measure.

“I bet you do. Well, have a good day sir!” the boy said with a wave before walking back to his post. 

Goro let out a sigh of relief and turned back towards the platform, just in time for the train to arrive.  _ Too close for comfort. Hopefully he doesn’t post about it online. _ He shook his head.  _ What am I thinking? Who would post about seeing some kind of lookalike? I’ll be fine. _

_ I’ll be fine. _

He stepped onto the train.

=====

He made it to the hotel faster than expected, but he wasn’t complaining. He unpacked all his belongings and set himself up to be there for a while. The hotel staff didn’t ask for any form of identification aside from a credit card (which thankfully was just for security purposes, and they wouldn’t be keeping it on file once he was gone) in the instance he were to access the minibar, which he had no intention of doing. 

Goro sat down at the hotel desk and began looking into places to stay for the long term. He couldn’t stay at a hotel forever, so he might as well get a cheap apartment. Thankfully most places in the area were only looking at roughly ¥50,000 per month, so he sent an email to a landlord that seemed reasonable and moved onto the remaining work he had in front of him.

First, his phone. He didn’t know if Shido had ways of tracking it, so he’d powered it on into airplane mode, moved everything important onto his laptop, wiped it, and destroyed it. He looked into local retailers and found that Junes sold them for pretty cheap, so he took note of that and wrote down the costs. 

Next was his public status. The kid he saw thankfully didn’t make any posts about him, so he was still in the clear. The police had put out a missing person’s report thanks to Kosei, but he doubted they’d get far. 

Granted, this could also be a manhunt. He bookmarked the pages and made a mental note to keep a watchful eye.

Finally was his new identity. Goro knew he couldn’t go into witness protection properly, so he had to look into ways of getting a fake ID, and a false Individual Number. He thought that perhaps he could go to the local police, but he couldn’t take his chances there. He knew exactly how far that sort of information could go. He closed the browser and opened a different one, activated his VPN, and started browsing the Dark Web for anything in the area he might find useful. 

Okina City, a short train ride away, had a coffee shop which was a front for certain illegal activity, including identification fraud. He hated having to get his hands dirty, but it was the only thing in the area. He made note of the prices and wrote those down as well. 

After everything was sorted, Goro closed the laptop and fished through his bag for his savings. He counted up everything he had before cross-referencing what he needed to spend.  _ I’ll likely be here for three days, so this is how much I’ll need for that. Train fare is roughly this much to get to Okina City and back, plus the ID and IN, then the phone, and then my security deposit for the new place… fuck. _

He was short ¥15,000. 

_ Okay, okay, I can probably withdraw from my bank account at an ATM— no, I can’t. Shido will definitely find out if there’s a charge on my bank account.  _ His heart began to pound in his throat.  _ Okay, I can probably ditch the phone until I get a job here. There’s gotta be somewhere that’s hiring. That saves me enough. _

He scratched at his neck and fidgeted with his wrists anxiously. The thought of being found began to drain him.  _ I need water.  _ He reached for the cooler in the corner, opening it and frantically taking out a bottle of water before— 

“Shit!” He shouted, placing it back as fast as he could and closing the cooler. He froze, hoping to whatever god existed that he didn’t just activate it and get his card charged. 

A knock rang through the door. “Everything alright?”

“Y-yeah,” Goro called back. “Just knocked some stuff over.”

“May I enter? I need to pass on some information to you.” 

_ Shit. _

Goro pulled up his hood and walked over to open the door just enough to see the young girl on the other side. “I’m just letting you know that the hotel coolers have weight sensors, and if something is removed from them for more than thirty seconds then they will charge your card.” 

“Thank you, I was actually just thinking about that,” he replied with a forced smile. “Thank you for letting me know.”

“Not a problem, Niijima-san.” The girl bowed and walked away, and Goro quietly shut the door.

_ Ugh. I need a shower. _

=====

“ _ Teammates!? Friends!? To  _ hell _ with that! Why am I inferior to you…!? I was extremely particular about my life, my grades, my public image, so someone would want me around! I am an ace detective… a celebrity!” _

_ The feeling of complete and utter despair washed through Goro, everything he’d worked for slipping away from his grasp. The lives he’d been made to ruin, the dirty work forced upon him… he was merely a puppet, and he chose that role for his plan, but with Akira’s interference, it would all be for naught.  _

_ “Come! Loki!!” _

_ Pain ripped through him as he lost control. An act of desperation, clinging to hope that he’d be the one to put a bullet between Shido’s eyes.  _

Warm water ran through his scalp as he recalled that fight. He only remembered glimpses during the actual duel, but the before and after were still fresh in his mind. His head still hurt from summoning Loki the way he did. 

_ “He can use two separate powers? Then even his appearance was a fake!”  _

“No,” Goro mumbled under the sound of the water against his skin. “It’s not.”

_ “But because you went through life alone, the power you awakened was fueled by lies and hate…” _

“That’s not true.” Goro pressed his hand against the wall of the shower as he recalled it all. “It wasn’t all lies.”

Streaks of pain ran through his skull. A sharp ache, reminiscent of when he first summoned Robin Hood and Loki. Flashes of memories he didn’t recognize appeared before his eyes.

_ “Trickster,” a voice echoed through the room. The voice was light, not necessarily kind, but generous and knowing. “Welcome to the Velvet Room, a space between dream and reality, mind and matter.” _

_ “Why am I here? Who are you?” Goro asked bluntly.  _

_ “My name is Igor, and I am the Master of this place.” The room itself was hazy, as though it wasn’t entirely there. “Though, I must admit, there is…a slight problem here.” _

_ “...What do you need from me?” Clearly, he’d been brought here for a reason; he might as well play the part.  _

_ “The world is on the brink of collapse. It is my duty to assist you in overturning that fate.” Igor waved his hand, and cards appeared upon the table. “Fate is neither cruel nor kind, but it is up to you to decide whether this calamity comes to pass.” _

_ Before Goro could ask any further questions, a bell chime rang out through the room. “Unfortunately, our time here is up. May we meet again, in the near future.” _

Goro opened his eyes, returning to the humid, claustrophobic bathroom he’d been in before.

“What was that?”


	2. Layer Cake

After drying off, Goro stepped back out into the main room and began to redress when the TV caught his attention. Something had interrupted the broadcast he left on, and he immediately recognized the logo. 

_ The deadline is tomorrow, Akira. Cutting it a little close, huh? _

The calling card was flashy, albeit a little over the top, but to get Shido’s attention it was entirely necessary.  _ I wonder if this was Futaba’s doing… she’s talented enough to be able to pull off something like this, _ he pondered as he pulled his shirt over his head. He peered over at his laptop and decided to peek on social media to see how the masses were reacting to it all.

It was primarily excitement, but that was no surprise. The general public saw this all as entertainment, not as a matter of life and death for those involved. He remembers the pain he’d felt fighting Wakaba Isshiki’s shadow, and the wounds he witnessed while the Phantom Thieves fought Kunikazu Okumura. The metaverse may have allowed for the rewriting of someone’s conscience, but it came at the cost of the most brutal challenges. 

Still, Goro couldn’t help but look forward to seeing how this all panned out. All that mattered to him was that Shido was taken down. While he’d prefer Shido dead, he supposed atonement for his crimes was adequate. 

_ You better not lose, Akira. _

=====

He spent most of the remainder of the day disconnecting from all his old accounts and making new ones to keep track of things. He couldn’t risk accidentally replying to something with his main account when he was supposed to be dead. Even when he was kilometers away, he needed to know what was going on in the world. 

Soon, the clock struck 9pm. Tomorrow was the day that Goro Akechi would disappear, and Naozumi Niijima would take his place. He knew that Shido’s change of heart would likely be performed by the end of the night—if it hadn’t happened already—but he couldn’t risk simply hiding away until Shido came to his senses. Goro needed to make sure all Shido’s supporters were gone too before he could feel safe again.

A year, he presumed. That would be enough time for the police to track down his servants and have them indicted. Plus, he assumed Sae would be heading that investigation and, while he had spent a good amount of time manipulating her, he knew she was clever. She shouldn’t have too much trouble, so long as she held her judgement firm. 

He slipped himself under the hotel bed covers and began to doze off. He’d need his rest for tomorrow. 

=====

_ “Welcome back, Trickster,” Igor’s voice said. Goro opened his eyes and found himself in the Velvet Room once again, though this time the room was clearer.  _

_ It was a simple study-type office, the grand window behind Igor and the girl to his left peered out into an endless void, beautiful blue lights reminiscent of an aurora borealis swirling around. The room had a large rug with a gothic letter ‘V’ printed in the center. On either wall was a large oak bookcase, and the desk in front of him was a well-made dark executive desk with a green lamp resting on top. The room was calming, cozy. Or perhaps that was the black leather chair he was seated in. Who knows? _

_ “I must apologize, I neglected to introduce you to my assistants. This here is Lavenza, and Jose, residents of this Velvet Room.” Igor gestured to his left and right. “And behind you,” He said, raising his arm to point to the door, “Is Morgana.” _

_ “Greetings,” the girl said with a curtsy. She was small, about 12 or 13, with long silver hair. She wore a blue headband with a golden rose clasp on either side and butterfly wings at the ends behind her ears. Her eyes were a lustrous golden yellow, shining kindly at Goro. _

_ “Pleasure to meet you,” the boy at Igor’s right said. He looked even younger, probably 10 or 11, with hair running down to just past his ears. Instead of the blue attire, he wore a large white jacket with star patterns across it. Goro noted that he looked less than human, in fact, he reminded Goro of the 1950s comic book character ‘Mighty Atom’.  _

_ “Hey,” the boy behind Goro said in a much less delicate tone. He stood a head shorter than Goro, looking to be in his late teens. His hair, too, was silver, with the added touch of black roots. He had a blue button down, white tie, white waistcoat and white trousers.  _

_ “Pleasure to be acquainted,” Goro replied with a small bow. “I presume I am here because of my recent… um…” _

_ “Your awakening, yes. It seems Robin Hood has heeded your call. If I am correct, Robin Hood is a historical figure that fought for the poor by stealing from the rich, right?”  _

_ “This is true,” Goro said. _

_ “Quite fitting for someone of your stature, Trickster,” Igor continued. “Your sense of justice is strong, befitting for someone like Robin Hood.” _

_ “I concur.” _

_ “Though one thing intrigues me… You’re the youngest guest this Velvet Room has seen. I cannot help but wonder what fate might have in store for you.” The long-nosed man smiled. _

_ “There have been other guests?” Goro inquired.  _

_ “Unfortunately, I cannot go into further detail. Should you choose to investigate this, I will not stop you, but I will not assist you either.” Before he could continue, the room began to shake slightly.  _

A tremor?  _ Goro thought initially,  _ But this place isn’t real, how can it—

_ “It would seem our time is up for now. I regret how things have come to be, but I must urge you to make haste in your goals. Time is of the essence.” He waved his hand. “I will see you again, Trickster, but that will be of your own accord.”  _

_ Goro looked down to see a key in his palm. He swiftly pocketed it. “Farewell for now, Igor.” _

_ “Farewell.” _

=====

Goro woke up slowly, the previous night’s vision collecting in his conscious mind.  _ A dream? No… a memory. Why am I seeing these now?  _ He shook his head and dismissed the thought.  _ Whatever, I’ve got preparations to make.  _

He reached for the phone and ordered room service for breakfast before checking in on the events from the previous night to see if the Phantom Thieves had been successful. He didn’t have to look hard; videos of Shido’s confessions had orbited the internet several times in the twelve hours since his emergency press conference. 

_ Serves the bastard right, _ he thought. His fist clenched and his teeth ground against each other, but he took a breath and calmed himself down.  _ He’s going to be held accountable for his crimes. It’s over. _

He closed his laptop and ate his breakfast before preparing for the day ahead of him. His first stop was Okina City to order ‘a large green tea macchiato, extra chocolate scrapings, hold the whipped cream,’ and then he’d be set to meet his landlord and get his living situation squared away before he started applying for jobs.

It pained him that he wouldn’t get to be a detective, but it was better safe than sorry. Perhaps fate would have something else in store for him.

The train was quick, only about fifteen minutes before he stepped into the Cafe Chagall. He had his hair pulled back in a short ponytail and put on glasses to obscure his face slightly under his hooded sweatshirt. There was a small lineup which allowed him to prepare what he was going to say.

“What can I get you, sir?” The barista asked curtly. She was practically expressionless, a trait Goro had come to master with his time on television.

“I’d like a large green tea macchiato, extra chocolate scrapings, no whipped cream, and a small black coffee to wash it down,” he answered as rehearsed. The look on the barista’s face seemed confused, and he began to worry. 

“Can I get a name for the order?” She asked again. Her prior ‘customer service’ voice was gone, in its place was something worried. 

“Tsuda.” 

Her expression shifted once more to a satisfied grin. “Alright, Tsuda-san. That will be 900 yen please.”

Goro forked over a 1000 yen note and received pocket change and a receipt.  _ Head around back and knock on the door with the green eye. Password is ‘Gekko’ _ was scrawled on the back. He followed the instructions precisely and was let into a small room, what appeared to be an office workshop. 

A gruff looking man stood up from the table in the corner. Aside from him, it was just Goro and the man guarding the door. A chill ran down Goro’s spine as he realized that he could very easily get himself killed in here and nobody would know. He put his guard up.

“So, kid, who are you exactly?” the man said. He approached Goro, standing tall in an attempt to intimidate him. They were the same height, so it didn’t particularly work.

“My name is Naozumi Nii—” He was cut off by the man pushing him back into the wall, his hand pressed tight against Goro’s throat.

“Don’t lie to me, boy. You a cop? Huh? I ain’t never seen you around these parts. You lookin’ for a fight?” He was a lot tougher than he looked, easily pinning Goro in place. 

“I-I’m just looking to g-g-get an ID, sir,” Goro forced out. His voice was strained and he could hardly breathe. 

“An ID, huh? And who exactly told you we do that?” The man leaned in close enough for Goro to feel his breath. It reeked. 

“I-I found it o-on the dark w-w-web, I spoke t-to a man n-named Chameleon.” Goro began to feel dizzy. He was running out of air.

“Chameleon, ey?” He released his hand from Goro’s throat. Goro dropped to his knees and coughed loudly, desperately gasping for air. “Sorry, pal. You shoulda said somethin’ sooner!” The man laughed boisterously, and Goro silently cursed him.

“I was about to,” he grumbled. 

After collecting his breath, Goro stood up and sat down across from the man. “The name’s Chameleon, as you probably know.” He didn’t. “You said you’re lookin’ for an ID?”

“And an IN, yes,” Goro replied curtly. 

“What for? What’s a kid like you need a fake ID for? Lookin’ to buy some booze? Drugs, maybe?” Chameleon leaned in close again. Goro noted that he might have vision problems, or that this is just something mafia people do.

“I need to hide,” he answered. “I can’t tell you anything more than that.”

“Fair, fair,” he said. Goro couldn’t imagine what kind of strain it must be to have a voice as grizzly as Chameleon’s. “Payment is 25,000 up front, and I can have it ready for you in a couple of hours. What’s the name again?” 

Goro forked over the full amount. “Naozumi Niijima, and a few hours you said? What’s around here to do?”

“Why not watch a movie? Theatre’s close by, I hear they’re showing  _ Your Name _ . My daughter is in love with it,” Chameleon answered, thumbing through the bills. 

“Sounds like a good idea,” Goro said as he stood in front of the camera for his photo. He needed to take his mind off of his recent predicament, and what better than a movie? Plus, it would give him a little bit more pop culture knowledge, since he was sorely lacking. 

=====

The movie was impressive, but not for him. The entire time he thought of Ann Takamaki and Haru Okumura and how they’d fawn crazy over stuff like this. His mind could only wander when he got bored, and of course it wandered back to the spaceport. The way Haru spoke to her father’s shadow, how deeply she loved him.

_ Do you feel remorse?  _ A voice inside him spoke. He remembered what Haru had said to him before, how she didn’t forgive him but she did sympathize.

_ There’s no reason to feel remorseful, _ he thought back.  _ It’s not like it will change the past. I did what I did, and that’s final. _

_ But it does change how you move forward.  _ He couldn’t tell whether the voice was Robin Hood’s or Loki’s anymore, but he had a hunch it was Robin Hood’s.  _ Should you come to feel sorrow for your actions, it makes you human.  _

Goro scoffed at the thought.  _ I’ve committed many crimes. I’m far from human. _

_ Why did you commit those crimes? _

For Shido, he wanted to reply. It was the right answer, but it was shifting blame. He recalled his first meeting with Igor, and the contract Igor spoke of.

_ It doesn’t matter. One must take full responsibility for their actions, right? _

The voice chuckled.  _ Of course, how noble of you. But answer yourself this: whose actions led to your crimes? _

He felt the presence fade away, leaving him alone with his thoughts again in the packed theatre.  _ I chose the path I did, so I have to take responsibility, _ he thought.  _ But everything I did, I did to get close to Shido. I did it  _ for  _ Shido, I… I don’t know. _

His head ached. He gripped his forehead in gloved hands, but the pain wouldn’t subside. 

_ Water. I need water.  _

He stood up and made his way out of the theatre, grateful he’d picked a seat next to the aisle, and walked briskly to the concession kiosk.

“Water, please,” he demanded before the cashier could say anything. 

“Yes, sir, coming right up.” 

He took the cup and drank it without taking a breath, and the headache quickly subsided. “Thank you.” He tossed a 500 yen coin on the counter and walked out of the theatre and back to the coffee shop.

=====

“Well, that was quick.”

Goro shrugged. “I lost interest.” He sat back down across from Chameleon, who appeared to be just finishing up. “How much longer?”

Chameleon didn’t turn from his work. “About 5 more minutes.”

Goro sat quietly. His hands itched for a phone to scroll through, to occupy his mind for just a moment, keep him engaged. He pulled a pen off the desk and twirled it in his gloved fingers.  _ It’ll have to do _ .

Five minutes felt like an hour, but it passed and Goro was handed his new IN and ID. 

“Here you are, Niijima-san. Thank you for your business.” Chameleon mimicked tipping a hat to the boy. 

“Thank you, Chameleon. Should I have any issues, I will be in touch. You’re certain this number is going to be functional?” Goro held up the IN. 

“Doesn’t take two hours to make a simple little card, kid. Most of that time was putting it in a government database like it had been there forever. We got contacts, but things take time.” Chameleon shrugged. “I’m a man of my word. That number will work.” 

“Thank you. I’ll be going now.” He left without a wave and walked back to the train, and to his hotel. 

_ ===== _

_ Next stop, meeting the landlord.  _ Goro opened his laptop and sent off an email to the landlord he was supposed to be meeting before he turned his focus to the TV. 

Shido’s confession was on the news. It was a rerun, definitely unscripted, and the news reporters were completely and utterly baffled at how much Shido had admitted to. 

_ “I ruined the lives of people for nothing but political gain… I even manipulated my own son. I’m… I’m sorry.”  _

Goro’s heart stopped. Though indirect, the sound of Masayoshi Shido apologizing to him struck him harder than he could have prepared for. He felt his throat tense, his hands shake, his eyes water. He fell backwards onto the floor and coughed, sniffled, choked out sounds he had repressed since he was a child. He tasted the salty tears running down his cheeks and over his lips. 

The image of his mother appeared in his head. She was... smiling. But it was different than he remembered. Her smile used to be strained, forced, restricted. Now, here, it was genuine, beautiful.

_ Free. _

Goro reached out his arm to grasp her. He wanted so badly to hold her again, to hear her voice, to have a conversation. Even though he was a bastard child, he loved her. He knew she loved him too. 

He felt her voice in his soul.

_ “Thank you, Goro.” _

And she faded away, walked off into the distance, and he was back in his hotel room on the floor. His heart ached. Emotions flooding through him, good and bad, but most of all he felt a weight had been lifted. It was far from over, but the spider’s head had been cut. The greatest of the evils had been vanquished.

“Thank you, Akira.” He sobbed into his palms. 

His laptop pinged a sound, his landlord replying, but he didn’t hear it. All he could hear was his heartbeat, and his cries of vindication.


End file.
